The present invention is directed generally to vehicle seating. More particularly, the invention is directed to a vehicle seat suspension using an isolator system that is stabilized to enhance seat suspension performance.
It is now common in vehicle seat technology to provide mechanisms or systems that reduce the undesirable effects of forces inputted to the seat from the front, back or sides. These so called “isolators,” both “fore and aft” and “lateral” varieties, commonly have an isolator plate with side tracks that travel in a reciprocal manner on a set of rollers. These conventional isolators, however, suffer from certain disadvantages. Because of dimensional and tolerance constraints, these prior art isolator systems have a tendency to cant or “rack,” increasing the interference and friction between the tracks and rollers. In addition, when the vehicle is on uneven terrain, which is often the case with off-the-road vehicles, the isolator tracks may bear against the sides of rollers, again generating undesirable interference and friction. Either or both of these problems can reduce the useful life of the suspension or require repair. Finally, the prior art isolators may cause a perceived “looseness” in the seat ride which is undesirable to the occupant.